Baroque music from Leicester

Robert Valentine: 12 Sonatas for Recorder and Basso Continuo

When you think of music from Leicester, does the post-punk group The Apollinaires come to mind?

Or perhaps you immediately think Baroque: Robert Valentine was born around 1674 in Leicester, moved to Rome, & died in 1747. He was one of the most prolific composers of music for the recorder in his time (his contemporaries include Henry Purcell in England, and the Italians Antonio Caldara, Francesco Durante & Alessandro Scarlatti). Valentine's twelve sonatas for recorder & basso continuo, op. 11, were published in Rome in the first half of the 18th century, as part of Antonio Parensi's Sinfonie dei varij autori. This new album from First Hand Records (FHR) includes all twelve of the op. 11 sonatas, on two discs.

The first page of one of Valentine's F major sonatas for recorder & continuo, from Sinfonie dei varij autori.

The ensemble on this album - Heidi Fardell on recorder, Lynda Sayce on lute & guitar, Poppy Walshaw on cello & Robin Bigwood on harpsichord - are able advocates for this music. Valentine does his part to keep things interesting, with different dance rhythms and contrasting musical textures. The musicians attack these pieces with energy and style. Some of the most interesting passages come from the continuo group, a tribute both to Valentine's composition and the ensemble work of the four musicians. Certainly listening to two discs worth of recorder sonatas at once might be fatiguing, but remember, musical ergonomics is important. Take a break, and enjoy this infectious music in moderation.

The album cover photo is by Emma Spellman. By the way, this album will be released Real Soon Now, on October 16, 2026.

And here it is:

A heroic interpretation of the spirit of Bach

J. S. Bach: The Art of the Fugue

Tatyana Nikolayeva is a legendary pianist with a bit of a cult following, especially for her Bach and Shostakovich (the two were close friends; he wrote the great Preludes & Fugues op. 87 for her). This is a live recording from the Sibelius Academy in Helskini on April 26, 1993, a month before her 69th birthday. Nikolayeva had a huge repertoire: "Sometimes I think I know practically everything that has been written for the piano!", she says, laughing, in a 1991 interview. On top of this, she had the habit of playing by memory. This shows in this recording, not necessarily in the few minor flubs, but because there is a real feeling that there's a well-thought-out, cohesive plan to her interpretation, the result of significant mental as well as physical work. This plan involves the pianist taking full advantage of the capabilities of her Steinway, without any special attention to Historically Informed Practices, but complete and absolute attention to the spirit of the music.

Just over six months later, in November 1993, Nikolayeva was playing the Shostakovich Preludes & Fugues at a recital in San Francisco, when she suffered a stroke. Remarkably, she managed to play until the intermission, but she was dead ten days later. This recording, with its poignant final fugue unfinished at Bach's own death, is a superb memorial.

Photo: Co Broerse, Amsterdam, 1990

This album will be released on March 6, 2020